Junjou Adolescent
by d r a m a t i s . e c h o
Summary: This is an AU story/series of one-shots; all the characters are close to the same age, and are in grade school. Lo and behold, it's a tender time where feelings are discovered, and each boy comes to terms with growing older. Pairings, Yaoi, etc.


Disclaimer: I don't own Junjou Romantica, or the characters in this story. I simply wrote out the scenario in pure boredom. XD... like all of my other stories lol

Pairings: Misaki/Akihiko, Hiroki/Nowaki, Shinobu/Miyagi

Summary: This is an AU story; all the characters are close to the same age, and are in grade school. Lo and behold, it's a tender age where feelings are discovered, and each boy comes to terms with growing older.

Notes I: This is total fluff and randomness haha, I just kind of wanted to write a cute story about the boys being similar in age/in school, and incredibly adorable, since the way they are portrayed young in the anime/magna is just cuuuuute xD

Notes II: Their ages are going to be skewed for the purposes of my story. So please don't tell me that Akihiko should be 'so-much' older than Misaki, etc. It's an **AU** lol and it's for fun

* * *

"I don't wanna go." Hiroki complained as he and his best friend walked to school. "This whole day is a stupid waste of time."

Akihiko smiled, "Hiroki… you have no sense of romance, do you?"

"I-I do too!" The little boy argued quickly, getting red in the face. "But celebrating it at school is ridiculous. It's just a bunch of cheap cards and candy. And only the _popular_ kids get stuff." He grumbled. "Maybe that's why YOU like it so much." Hiroki teased bitterly.

Akihiko sighed, "I don't ask for the attention. I'd prefer it if I only got a couple of Valentines." The child shrugged. "I don't even like sweets."

'_I wonder if he would accept one from me?'_ Hiroki thought briefly.

The boys were eleven-years-old, and enduring the tedious (and easy) process of passing the 6th grade. Both were mature for their age, and were reading and writing FAR above their expected grade level. Truth be told, part of the reason they were so close was because of their shared intelligence. But as they started to get older, Hiroki found he was thinking about his best friend more and more.

His revelation had come a couple days ago while reading one of Akihiko's stories. The two main characters had kissed, and Hiroki began to daydream about his first kiss… that _happened_ to be with Akihiko. The two had shared a few more, though mostly it came as a result of Hiroki crying, and Akihiko getting him to stop.

Since then, Hiroki had been feeling more flustered around the angelic, silver-haired boy. Not that he was the only one; all the girls in class had crushes on him, and even some of the boys. Though most were just jealous of Akihiko's effortless draw and charm.

But just as they were arriving at school, Hiroki's thoughts were broken when he heard the familiar sound of cruel laughter.

Akihiko and Hiroki stopped when their eyes settled on two of their classmates tossing a little boy's backpack back and forth. "Come on! Can't you reach it?" Isaka teased.

"P-Please give it back," The little green-eyed boy begged tearfully. "My Nii-chan packed a s-special lunch for me today."

Shinoda scoffed, "Your Nii-chan packed you a lunch? Pft. Why? Do your parents not love you anymore?" He laughed.

"My… my parents… are d-dead…" The little child wept, rubbing his large, doe-green eyes with his small fist as he broke down.

Before the two older boys could comment, Hiroki heard a familiar voice break through,

"Give him back his knapsack!" Akihiko demanded angrily.

Hiroki was shocked. His best friend was always so calm and collected; he rarely allowed his emotions to take over. In fact, the only time Hiroki had seen Akihiko truly flustered was after he'd found some of his stories, and told the young writer he was good.

But this was different. Akihiko actually looked mad.

"Alright, alright," Isaka groaned, tossing the little boy's bag back to him. Sulking, he grabbed his own knapsack from the ground. "He's just a third grader, Akihiko-chan. Relax."

Shinoda didn't say anything; he just looked at Hiroki and smirked. "Jealous that your boyfriend isn't sticking up for YOU anymore?"

"Baka! Shut your fucking face!" Hiroki snapped, fuming at the idea. He had never gotten along with Shinoda. The boy was a year older than him – and always chose to tease Hiroki. Not only that, but sometimes he'd try to kiss him.

It was infuriating and confusing, to say the least; Hiroki really wanted **no** part of him.

The two friends headed further into the school's playground toward the larger groups of children, leaving the sniffling third-grader with Akihiko and Hiroki.

"Let's go, Akihiko," Hiroki sighed, ready to go to the playground before class started.

However, his best friend wasn't listening. Instead, Akihiko's sweet, lavender eyes were focused on the trembling little boy, who was clutching his knapsack to his chest like it was a lifeline. "Are you ok?" Akihiko asked softly.

The child brought his huge green eyes up to look at him. "Y-Yes… thank you." He said, giving the taller boy a weak, but grateful smile.

"Akihiko." Hiroki called again impatiently.

'_What's so captivating about that brat?'_ He thought, crossing his arms.

"What's your name?" Akihiko asked calmly.

The chocolate-colored hair boy gazed up at him curiously, "T-Takahashi Misaki. But everyone just c-calls me Misaki." He smiled, his tears almost completely gone at this point.

"Misaki." Akihiko repeated with a small, tender smile gracing his lips. "I'm Usami Akihiko. And this is Kamijou Hiroki." He introduced.

Hiroki rolled his eyes, "Yeah. Great, we all know each other." He spat sarcastically. Marching over to the two, he grabbed Akihiko's hand and tugged him away. "Come on, Akihiko."

The silver-haired boy complied with his friend, but continued to glance back toward sweet, little Misaki.

"Why did you tell him our names?" Hiroki asked oddly. "He's in the third grade. We don't hang out with kids that little."

Akihiko shrugged and finally turned his eyes back ahead. "I don't know." He answered quietly. "I like his eyes."

'_Well I like YOUR eyes, but you don't hear me saying that out loud.'_ Hiroki grumbled internally.

"Let's just get to class." He snapped uncomfortably.

* * *

Hiroki rolled his eyes as he sat beside Akihiko. He was in the second row, while his friend was in the first – and conveniently seated beside the window. Akihiko had been staring out it ever since they arrived. What the hell was so fascinating out there? Was he still thinking about that little brat?

"Now class, before we begin, we have a new student joining us today." Their teacher started with a warm smile. She placed her hand on the shoulder of a dark-haired boy, who also had a nervous, but friendly grin on his face. "Everyone, this is Kusama Nowaki. He was in the fifth grade, but due to his good marks and test scores, he's being skipped ahead. Please make him feel welcome."

Hiroki perked up at the sound of someone being 'skipped' ahead. _'Why the hell haven't __**I**__ been skipped ahead?'_ He wondered jealously. _'I'm smarter than that idiot. Probably.'_ He pouted.

"Nowaki-kun, please take that empty seat." She gestured down the row. Hiroki tensed when he realized the empty seat was beside him. "Hiroki-kun can show you the ropes."

"Tch." Hiroki scoffed, resting his cheek on the palm of his head wearily. Great, now he had to deal with a **new** brat asking him hundreds of questions.

Nowaki sat down eagerly next to Hiroki, and smiled brightly at him. "Hello, I'm Nowaki." The dark-haired boy greeted. Despite being a year younger than Hiroki, he still seemed to be a bit taller.

This, of course, only agitated Hiroki further. _Taller than him, AND skipped ahead a grade? _

"I'm Hiroki." He answered sharply. "And you're just sitting here because it's the **only** free seat. Don't think I'm just going to become friends with you because you're new."

Nowaki's smile faltered a bit, but he held it on as he blushed. "Oh. Well, what do I need to do to become your friend?" He asked innocently.

"Eh?" Hiroki paused, looking around uncomfortably. "I-I don't know. Nothing. I only make friends with people who have the same interests as me."

The dark-haired child leaned forward in his seat a bit. "Ah, ok! Well, what kind of things do you like?"

"Books, and lots of them!" Hiroki growled. "I've read over 2/3rds of the books in the library, and I won't finish till I've gotten through them all. I like everything that has to do with books and reading."

Nowaki frowned, "Oh, well, I've done the assigned readings."

"Psh." Hiroki scoffed. "We're not going to have anything in common, trust me." He predicted. "Just pay attention, and don't bug me. I can't carry you through this class just because some dopey Sensei decided you were smart enough to get skipped ahead." He snarled, turning back to face the front.

But to his surprise (and annoyance), Nowaki laughed. "Hiro-chan, you're so cute."

Hiroki immediately blushed.

"It's… it's HiroKI." He corrected anxiously.

The curious new student didn't say anything; he just continued to smile warmly at Hiroki. The boy's only response was to ignore him; something about the look in Nowaki's eyes reminded him of Akihiko… but he couldn't tell what.

'_What a terrible… stupid day.'_ Hiroki groaned.

* * *

Miyagi yawned as he lazily made his way down the hall. Classes had just started, and already, he'd asked permission to go to the washroom… AKA – wander around the hall and kill time until they got to a subject he was interested in.

Then again, he knew it was going to be a 'short' day, since the school always had some Valentines Day activities planned. It was bullshit, but Miyagi was going to have fun with it… because he could. Anything was better than _school_ – especially on a Friday.

Finally reaching the bathroom, his eyes settled on a couple of guys who had their back to the door.

"What's the matter? Can't stand up for yourself?" One laughed. "Not so tough now, are you…"

Miyagi furrowed his brow and glanced over their shoulder, to see a small, blond-haired 3rd grader who was cornered. He was trembling with what Miyagi could only imagine was fear… but his eyes and face were set in a deadly scowl. "F-Fuck you!" The little boy snapped.

"Oooh… big word for a small fry." Another bully joined in.

Miyagi chuckled, drawing their attention to him. "The simpletons are always so easily impressed." He mused. "Why are you bullying him? You can't possibly be poor enough to need his milk money." Miyagi teased.

"S-Shut the fuck up." One of the boys yelled. "Get outta here before we take you down off your high horse."

Miyagi smirked, "Try me."

The two bullies exchanged a hesitant look, before they approached Miyagi looking to start a fight. But the slightly older student was taller and a bit stronger, and easily deflected their hits. He tripped one bully, and pushed another into the row of sinks.

The boys glared at him, realizing they couldn't intimidate Miyagi as easily as they thought, and then looked back to Shinobu, "Don't chirp us in the hall anymore, brat. Or we'll catch you someplace where no one is gonna come along to save you." He threatened, before the two headed out of the washroom.

A small bout of silence filled the washroom, before Miyagi looked over to the small 3rd grader. The blond was staring up at him in slight awe. "You chirped them in the hall?" Miyagi chuckled. "That's ballsy… considering you're so little. Word of advice: Don't pick fights with kids older than you." He muttered, undoing his pants at the urinal and starting to pee.

"Y-you…" The boy began, "You saved me."

Miyagi quirked a brow, and kept looking at the wall in front of him. "Yeah. So?" He smirked. "Watching a little kid get beat up in the washroom isn't a favorite pastime of mine, believe it or not."

"W-What's your name?" The kid demanded loudly.

The older student winced and finished pissing, zipping up his pants as he turned back to the boy, "Uh, Miyagi?"

"I'm Shinobu!" The child announced, marching over to him as he started toward the sinks. Reaching up, his small hands grasped the front of Miyagi's t-shirt. "I want you to be my Valentine!"

Miyagi laughed, "Are you serious?" He smirked, "First of all, you're a guy. Second of all, you're too young! Twelve-year-olds don't hang out with 3rd graders."

"M-Miyagi! Be my Valentine!" Shinobu pressed. "Maybe this is… de-s… des-tiny!" He sputtered out awkwardly.

The older boy chuckled, "Where did you learn a word like: _destiny_?" He asked curiously; if he wasn't so stubborn, he might admit he was impressed the kid knew the word.

"My mom said when she fell in love with my dad, it was destiny," Shinobu explained - his small fingers fiddling with the fabric of Miyagi's shirt absentmindedly. "S-So they are going to spend Valentines Day together."

Miyagi walked away from him to dry his hands, "Well, they're in love, so it makes sense that they are each others' Valentines."

"W-We can be in love!" Shinobu innocently pursued. "You saved me! And-and the hero always saves the—"

"Princess?" Miyagi interrupted with a teasing grin.

"P-Person in danger." Shinobu clarified with a blush and a frown.

Miyagi shook his head, "Stay outta trouble." He called back as he left the washroom.

Though much to his annoyance, the small blond-haired, gray-eyed kid followed him.

"M-Miyagi! What grade are you in?" Shinobu called, toddling behind Miyagi as he walked.

The boy rolled his eyes, "The 7th grade. Now will you leave me alone?" He whined, heading quickly back toward his classroom. "And get to class!" He scolded.

"O-Ok," Shinobu agreed, "I will, but I'm going to find you when the Valentines Day a-activities start!" He promised.

Miyagi waved the child off and disappeared around the corner. What a strange kid. Yeah, he might have stopped him from getting beaten up, but that didn't mean anything. Any student who happened to interrupt would have done that, right? It didn't _mean_ anything. But Miyagi got the feeling that if little Shinobu really HAD mouthed off to those older boys in the hall, that he would find himself getting bullied again soon.

'_What a little spitfire…'_ Miyagi chuckled to himself. _'A confused weirdo. But a spitfire.'_ He concluded.

* * *

Sometime after noon, the students were permitted to roam the school and partake in the Valentines Day activities that were set up in the grade school. There were games and booths set up in the gymnasium, and some snacks set out in the small cafeteria. Each class had permitted the time for the kids to make Valentines 'boxes' in which other children could leave them Valentines.

Misaki had eagerly gathered up all his Valentines and got ready to distribute them. "H-Hey Shinobu!" He said brightly to his classmate. "Wanna help me hand out Valentines?"

"No." Shinobu frowned, "I gotta go find someone." He muttered, heading out of the classroom with his panda bear backpack slung over his small shoulder.

Misaki shrugged and moved around the classroom himself. He gave his classmates each a happy, bright smile as he dropped Valentines into their boxes. By the time he was done, he had two Valentines left; after getting saved by Akihiko and Hiroki from those bullies, Misaki had made them both a Valentine to say thanks.

Venturing out of his third-grade class, Misaki cheerfully wandered down the hall in search of the 6th grade class. All the doors were open, and lots of kids were coming and going. Peeking into one room, he saw kids milling about, and Akihiko and Hiroki talking with someone else.

For a moment, Misaki blushed and became quite nervous. Was this ok? Giving thank-you Valentines to two kids he just met? Summoning up his courage, Misaki toddled into the class and tried to go unnoticed by the older kids. "Um, h-hi Akihiko! Hi Hiroki!" He greeted.

"What are you doing here, brat?" Hiroki asked, rolling his eyes.

Akihiko, however, perked up and smiled warmly at the little boy before them.

"I-I, uh… I just… wanted to g-give you both these." Misaki admitted, sheepishly handing both Hiroki and Akihiko a card.

Hiroki looked at it skeptically, before putting it in his 'Valentines' box. "Yeah. Thanks." He mumbled, clearly disinterested.

Akihiko, on the other hand, took the Valentine gently; running his lavender colored eyes over it like it was a precious commodity. Opening it, he read the simple message within, and smiled. "Thank you, Misaki. I love it." The silver-haired boy purred.

"R-Really?" Misaki asked with a bright blush.

Hiroki groaned, "Yeah, I'm sure it's SO different from the other _million_ Valentines you've already gotten." He commented sarcastically.

Misaki's large green eyes peeked around Akihiko to look at his desk. Hiroki was right; it was overflowing with candy, chocolate, and hundreds of cards. The doe-eyed boy gasped, "W-Wow…" He muttered in awe.

Biting his lower lip, Misaki lowered his eyes.

"It _is_ different." Akihiko said calmly. "Because it's from Misaki-kun." He smiled. As Misaki looked up, he saw Akihiko safely tuck his Valentine into his pocket. "Thank you." He nodded, leaning forward and placing a sweet kiss on Misaki's forehead.

Hiroki tensed and glared at the small boy – who for some reason – had caught Akihiko's attention. What was so interesting about him? Why was HE suddenly worthy of Akihiko's affectionate pecks, smiles, and gazes?

"Hiro-chan," The familiar (and annoying) voice of Nowaki broke through the boy's thoughts and he cringed. "I made you a Valentine." Nowaki smiled, handing the slightly shorter brunette a large, construction paper card.

Hiroki blushed and crossed his arms, "Why would you waste your time on something like that?" He asked. "Valentines Day is so stupid." He had only gotten a couple of Valentines, because he didn't have that many friends. What was even MORE frustrating was that Nowaki had JUST joined their class, and even HE had gotten more cards and candy than Hiroki! There seemed to be a similar pattern forming, where all the girls in class were not only swooning over Akihiko, but Nowaki as well.

"Are you upset because you didn't get as many Valentines as Usami-san?" Nowaki asked observantly.

At the accurate assumption, Hiroki blushed even more, "N-No! Baka! Why should I care?"

"Don't worry, Hiro-chan," Nowaki smiled, wrapping his arms around Hiroki in a hug. "I'm going to keep making you Valentines until I see you smile for once." He swore enthusiastically. "Do you want some of my candy, too?"

Hiroki flushed and struggled out of Nowaki's arms, "W-Why? - I mean, NO! Stop offering! And don't make me any more… I'm… just going to throw them all out when I get home anyway!"

"Do you guys want to wander around a bit?" Akihiko asked, though Hiroki couldn't help but wonder if he was mostly asking Misaki, since his eyes rarely left the small, cute boy.

Speaking of said-boy, Misaki's eyes lit up, "Y-Yeah! Let's look around!" He agreed. "I wanna stop by MY class and see my Valentines box!"

Hiroki rolled his eyes for the tenth time that day, but mumbled and agreed nonetheless. His mood only worsened, of course, when he saw Akihiko take Misaki's small hand in his own.

"I don't want you to get separated from us in the busy halls." Akihiko justified to the adorable, big-eyed 3rd grader.

Misaki didn't seem suspicious about the contact, and smiled, "Ok!"

As they started to head out of the class, Hiroki felt someone walking closely beside him, while Akihiko led Misaki a few feet in front of them. "You're coming too?" He asked the new boy.

"If that's ok." Nowaki smiled goofily. "I'll go wherever Hiro-chan is going."

Hiroki winced, "I-I told you: **don't** call me Hiro-CHAN!" He snapped. "It's Hiroki!"

* * *

Shinobu searched for a good twenty minutes before he found Miyagi. He ventured to the older boy's classroom, but didn't see him there – so he began to wander around, holding his Valentine in hand.

He finally came upon the male outside. He was leaning against the corner of the wall. Blushing at the mere sight of him, Shinobu marched over. "Miyagi! I—"

Shinobu stopped himself when he noticed that Miyagi wasn't alone; some of his friends were gathered around him too. They all stopped and looked at Shinobu, who stood there awkwardly with a Valentine in hand. "You again?" Miyagi groaned.

"M-Miyagi," Shinobu stammered, glaring at the older boy. He didn't care that there were other people around. He was spoiled and used to getting what he wanted. "Here. It's your Valentine."

One of his friends laughed, "Aw, this little brat is your _Valentine_?" He teased.

"Why didn't you tell us, Yoh?" Another joined in.

Miyagi shot them a glare, "He's **not** my Valentine!" He growled, crossing his arms. "I stopped the little brat from being beaten up in the washroom. Now he's harassing me."

"Don't call me a brat!" Shinobu snapped, thrusting his Valentine at Miyagi's chest. "T-Take it! You said you would!"

Miyagi's eyed widened, "No I didn't!" He argued quickly.

"He's a little _young_, Miyagi," A smaller boy chided with a scoff. "Get lost, twerp."

Shinobu fumed, "No! Miyagi is my Valentine! It's des-destiny!" He pursed out, still having a bit of trouble with more 'advanced' words. "You can all get lost!"

"Hey, don't talk back to us." Another friend scolded, taking a few steps toward Shinobu. Some of Miyagi's other friends crowded around the mouthy 3rd grader as well.

"Yeah." A second sneered. "Get back inside with the rest of the youngsters and enjoy your cookies and games." He laughed.

As his infamous temper flared more and more, Shinobu looked over to Miyagi – who looked disinterested, irritated… and even a bit torn. "Do something Miyagi! S-Stand up for me!"

"Shinobu-chin," The black-haired boy sighed. "Go back inside already. You're embarrassing me." He grumbled awkwardly.

The sandy-blond boy trembled with anger, before storming over to Miyagi and slamming the Valentine against his chest. "T-Take it! Take it, Miyagi! You're my Valentine! W-We're supposed to—"

Shinobu wasn't able to finish his sentence before Miyagi pushed him away.

"I said go back inside!" Miyagi snapped. He didn't want to be associated with this kid; what was his problem? He never agreed to be the brat's Valentine… and besides, he was a guy, and this kid was embarrassing him in front of his friends.

Shinobu stumbled back from the push, and fell into one of Miyagi's friends. That boy proceeded to laugh, and push Shinobu off him and into someone else – who also pushed Shinobu. The little fiery 3rd grader was bounced and pushed around roughly, until one of Miyagi's friends tripped him. Shinobu fell face first onto the cement, and winced as his mouth scraped against the ground.

The older boys just laughed and chided the small child, before nudging Miyagi and starting to head off to find another place to hang out (or rather, ditch the Valentines Day activities). Shinobu's bottom lip trembled as he poked his tongue out to taste blood; his lip was bleeding. Bringing himself to his hands and knees (which ached, and were scraped after falling), Shinobu drew his watery, large gray eyes up to look at Miyagi.

The twelve-year-old looked down at Shinobu with a hint of regret, but pushing that feeling away, Miyagi slowly trailed behind his friends, and left Shinobu alone.

Shinobu sniffled and stood up; brushing himself off and wiping his bloody lip off on the back of his sleeve. His stormy eyes watched Miyagi retreat further across the empty playground with his friends… and at one point, Miyagi actually glanced back at him. But that was it.

Defeated and embarrassed, Shinobu slowly shuffled back inside the school.

* * *

"This is my class here!" Misaki announced proudly after the foursome had wandered through the halls.

They had stopped by the cafeteria and gotten some 'heart-shaped' cookies that were provided for each student, before heading to Misaki's class. He seemed really excited to check his Valentines box, since he'd spent a lot of time the previous evening writing his out for everyone in his grade. Akihiko could barely take his eyes off the small, bundle of energy that _was_ Misaki… whereas Hiroki was just pouting jealously the whole way, while Nowaki vied for his attention.

Misaki shot into his class, while Akihiko, Hiroki and Nowaki waited in the hall. "Why are you humoring that brat?" The brunette asked bitterly.

"I'm not humoring him." Akihiko corrected him gently. "I like him."

Hiroki narrowed his eyes, "WHY, exactly?"

Akihiko stared at his best friend for a couple of minutes in silence, before he answered,

"You wouldn't understand."

Hiroki growled, "Baka." He snapped beneath his breath. He hated it when Akihiko refused to explain or elaborate on things for him. He wasn't stupid; he could understand ANYTHING that Akihiko could understand.

"Do you want to take a walk, Hiro-chan?" Nowaki asked eagerly. "We could even go outside."

The other boy groaned, "No." He was growing weary of Nowaki's constant (and odd) need to impress him and worm his way into his life. Why did he want to be his friend so badly?

When Misaki came back, the slightly older boys noticed something was different. Namely, the boy's overly large green eyes were glazed with unfallen tears. He was wringing his fingers together in a vulnerable gesture… but when he stopped in front of his 'new' friends, Misaki forced a weak smile on his lips.

"O-Ok, what do you guys wanna do next?" The kid asked sweetly, trying to push down whatever had been bothering him.

Hiroki was ready to ignore it; if the boy wanted to talk about it, he would talk about it – he wasn't going to push him. Akihiko, however, had changed his demeanor, and looked over Misaki. "What's wrong?" He asked with a hint of protectiveness in his voice.

"N-Nothing…" Misaki continued to hold his weak smile.

Akihiko took one of Misaki's small hands in his own, and tugged him a bit closer. "Misaki?" He cooed gently.

"Well, I-I just…" Misaki began, trying not to cry or tremble over his words. "There aren't any Valentines in my box." He whimpered, glancing back toward the bustling classroom. "I gave a Valentine to everyone… b-but… um…"

Noticing the boy, sweet boy was about to break down for the second time in the day, something in Akihiko snapped. Marching into Misaki's class, he snatched the empty Valentines box from Misaki's desk, and headed back out. Without breaking stride, the eleven-year-old grabbed Misaki's little hand, and tugged him back down the hall quickly.

"Akihiko!" Hiroki shouted after them, but he didn't follow. "Great." He cursed aloud, crossing his arms defiantly. "Leave me here alone to—"

"I'm still here, Hiro-chan!" Nowaki interrupted brightly.

Hiroki groaned. "Fine! Let's just… go outside for a walk or something! I can't stand to be around this Valentines stuff anymore!" He complained, huffing as he walked outside with Nowaki in tow.

* * *

"U-Usagi-san!" Misaki protested in confusion, "W-What are you doing?" He asked worriedly.

He recognized the halls they had just navigated through, and soon, they were back in the 6th grade class. Only this time, no one was in it. Most of the kids had already cleared out to go to the cafeteria or the gymnasium, where the fun events and games were being hosted.

Stopping at his desk, which was overflowing with Valentines and chocolates, Akihiko took Misaki's Valentines box, and filled it to the brim with candies and cards.

"U-Usagi-san?" Misaki whispered in cute confusion.

Akihiko stood in front of him, and handed the full box back to the little boy. "Here. Your box is full now." He said with a straight face. "Please don't cry."

"B-But… but…" Misaki gasped in awe, "These are yours!"

Akihiko wrapped his arms around the small boy, and gave him a warm hug. Misaki's eyes widened in shock, as he stood there frozen in his new friends tender embrace. "Whatever is mine can be Misaki's too. I don't need them." He commented. "I don't want to see you cry anymore."

Misaki couldn't believe his new friend was being so nice to him. No one had EVER been so nice to him. Misaki had never really had an easy time making friends… and it's not like he didn't try. Misaki did his very best to be nice, considerate and accommodating in the hopes of making friends. But instead, his classmates just tended to walk all over him, or avoided him.

"Thank you… Usagi-san…" Misaki finally answered, blushing as he relaxed into the hug.

Akihiko smiled as he pulled back, "It's Usami." He corrected playfully.

"Oh!" Misaki flinched, "I-I'm so sorry!"

"Don't." Akihiko shushed him with a smirk. "I like Usagi-san. Can you keep calling me it?" He asked.

Misaki smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "Y-Yeah!"

"Misaki?" Akihiko asked. When the boy's bright, large eyes stared up at him curiously – the silver-haired student bent down, and sweetly kissed his cheek. "Will you be my Valentine?"

The brunette blushed, "W-What! Really?" Misaki gushed nervously, "B-But I'm a boy! And, and you're older than me, and-and… w-we just met, and… you have…" Misaki stammered.

He was cut off, however, when Akihiko pecked him on the lips with a gentle kiss.

As soon as he ended it, Misaki yelled in shock, and rubbed his mouth quickly on his sleeve, "Yuck! W-What was that?" He asked.

"A kiss." Akihiko shrugged calmly. "It's a trick to stop people from panicking… or crying… or getting angry." He listed like it was no big deal.

Looking skeptically up at his new friend, Misaki nervously laughed, "Ah… hah-ha ha… ha… you're **weird**, Usagi-san." He muttered, unsure of what else to say. Looking back down at his hands – where he was still holding onto his full Valentines box – his cheeks flushed in embarrassment again as he hugged it close. "T-Thank you for the… valentines… and chocolates…" He whispered gratefully.

Akihiko smiled, and ruffled the top of Misaki's head.

* * *

"So what else does Hiro-chan like to do?" Nowaki asked eagerly as he walked a few steps behind his new friend. It wasn't because he didn't WANT to walk beside him, but Hiroki quickened his pace whenever the dark-haired boy tried.

Hiroki rolled his eyes, "Ugh. I don't know, why does it matter?" He snapped uncomfortably.

"Well, Hiro-chan is obviously really smart. He reads a lot." Nowaki began to explain happily, "So, do you do anything besides read?"

The small brunette spun around to shoot Nowaki a glare, "Are you trying to say that you don't think I DO **other** things? Is that a joke?" He yelled. "Baka! I d-do all kinds of stuff! I take Kendo, I'm in swimming, I practice calligraphy, _and_ piano! AND I'm really good at them! So THERE!" He ranted quickly; too angry and embarrassed to even notice whether his answer actually made sense.

"Hiro-chan," Nowaki laughed warmly. "You're so good at everything." He complimented. "I knew you would be."

Hiroki almost choked on his spit as he inhaled quickly. "W-What!" He sputtered in confusion. As his blush only became more and more apparent, he felt a small pang of modesty hit him. "I-I'm not… I'm not THAT great," He admitted with a bit of a frown.

"Well, I think Hiro-chan is great." Nowaki smiled.

The brunette scoffed, "Yeah whatever." He grumbled uncomfortably. "There's always going to be someone better at you in something. I wish I could quit those stupid activities and just read." He pouted. "I'll leave all that sports and lesson stuff to other kids. Like you." He laughed. "You're probably one of those kids' whose good at everything, right?" He said sarcastically.

"No, not really." Nowaki shrugged, unsure why Hiroki's tone seemed so hostile. "I'm not involved in any clubs or lessons."

Hiroki looked at him oddly, "Really? Why not? Don't your parents _want_ you to be good at lots and lots of things? Don't they push you to do your best? My parents never STOP hounding me. Like, there's OBVIOUSLY a reason you got skipped ahead. Oh! I get it! Your parents do half your school work, is _that_ it?" He hypothesized with a teasing laugh.

When Nowaki didn't answer him, he looked back again to see Nowaki's eyes suddenly full of sadness and vulnerability. Hiroki blinked, and stopped walking to stare at the slightly taller, but younger, boy. "W-What?" Hiroki asked.

"Nothing, Hiro-chan." Nowaki muttered quietly, forcing a weak, sad smile on his lips.

Hiroki wasn't buying. Nowaki looked so sad, and oddly enough, it was affecting Hiroki more than he expected it would. Was it because Nowaki was always smiling? Quickly, he re-traced what he'd said; it seemed that Nowaki got a bit sad when he asked about his parents involving him in clubs or sports.

"What, do you not have a good relationship with your parents, or something?" Hiroki asked awkwardly.

Nowaki kept his blue eyes down, and slowly continued to walk. "I-I don't really know." He answered softly. "I was adopted."

Hiroki's face went pale, and he stared in complete shock at Nowaki.

"You're… an _orphan_!" He exclaimed.

Seeing Nowaki's face fall even further into embarrassing despair with Hiroki's reaction made the brunette feel even worse. He quickly covered his mouth with his own hands, and mentally cursed himself for blurting out something so insensitive.

"Why didn't you TELL ME?" Hiroki yelled.

Nowaki's face blanked for a moment, "I… thought maybe Hiro-chan wouldn't want to be my friend."

Hiroki sputtered between anger and sadness, "W-What? W-Why would… _er_… why would T-THAT matter to… I-I… I would never!" He stammered. "DON'T THINK SO POORLY OF ME!" He snapped. Gripping Nowaki's shoulders, he turned the taller boy to face him, as he yelled up at him, "I might not have a lot of friends, but I'm not stupid, and I DO care about other things than books!"

He continued, "I _DO_ care that you don't have parents, but only because now I know that _**I**_ need to look out for you, brat!" He blurted out with a dramatic finish.

Nowaki stared at Hiroki.

"…Huh?" Nowaki uttered.

Hiroki released him. "I'm not going to say it again." He huffed angrily. Crossing his arms, the brunette blushed and began to march back toward the school. "Come on. We've been out here too long." He ordered.

Slowly, a smile grew on Nowaki's lips. Any sadness or remorse he might have been feeling began to melt away as he repeated Hiroki's words in his head: _'…now I know that __**I**__ need to look out for you.'_

'_Now I know that __**I**__ need to look out for you.'_

"Ok Hiro-chan." He smiled; falling into step beside Hiroki was they headed back in.

Only this time, instead of darting a few steps ahead… Hiroki stayed beside Nowaki until they slipped back inside.

* * *

Shinobu sat outside on a small, yellow park bench that lay outside the school with his panda bear knapsack. He knew everyone would be leaving soon, since the Valentines activities and games were mostly over. He had spent the remainder of his time in the bathroom, alone. He cleaned up his bloody lip, though now there was a small cut that was healing over with a little maroon scab.

After spending an hour alone there, Shinobu slipped outside and decided to wait for his walking partner, Misaki, to come out. He didn't want any teachers to see his damaged lip or scraped knees or palms, since they would ask him what happened. It's not like he'd gotten beaten up; people had pushed him, tripped him, and he had fallen.

The only thing that had really hurt was the way Miyagi acted toward him. Shinobu didn't know what he'd done wrong. All he wanted was to show Miyagi how grateful he was… how much he seemed to like him. Miyagi had saved him, and in the boy's over-active imagination, he believed that meant they were destined to be together.

In the end, Miyagi had rejected his Valentine, and physically pushed him away. Not only were his feelings hurt, but his pride as well.

But just as he was going to try and convince himself to forget about Miyagi, the unthinkable happened. The twelve-year-old plopped right down beside him on the bench, with a small, embarrassed scowl on his face.

"Oi." Miyagi mumbled. "Is your lip ok?"

Shinobu stared up at the taller boy beside him, and slowly managed to nod. He was in shock; why was Miyagi sitting beside him out here? Where were his friends?

"Look," Miyagi sighed in frustration, "I'm sorry you got hurt, ok? But you can't just march up to people and start saying whatever the hell you want. It's embarrassing! I never said I'd be your Valentine anyway." He argued stubbornly. Pausing for a moment, Miyagi looked away from Shinobu, while he handed him a small card. "But here. **Here** is your Valentine." He grumbled. "Can we drop it now?"

Shinobu could only blink. Miyagi was giving him… a Valentine? Did that mean he'd kept the one Shinobu gave him? Right before the fight, Shinobu had shoved his Valentine into Miyagi's hands, but he thought that the boy would have tossed it away or dropped it onto the ground before he left.

"M-Miyagi…" Shinobu blubbered, as his large, stormy eyes began to well up with tears. Snatching the Valentine out of Miyagi's hands, the small golden-haired boy threw himself at the 7th grader, and hugged him tightly.

"GAH!" Miyagi exclaimed. "D-Don't do that! What the hell?" He whined, trying to pry Shinobu's arms from around his neck. "Come on, let go!"

But Shinobu didn't. He nestled his small head into the crook of Miyagi's neck. "T-Thank you, Miyagi."

For some reason, the innocent contact caused Miyagi to tense… and actually… even blush. Shinobu was so small in his arms; he carried himself like this tough little kid, but he was yanked off his high horse as soon as Miyagi's friends had tripped him and embarrassed him. Now, Miyagi gave him a card, and he was reduced to tears.

"Whatever. You're welcome." Miyagi answered uncomfortably as he patted Shinobu's back. "Let me go now. I'll walk you home… I guess." He muttered, pushing Shinobu off so he could stand up.

Shinobu was completely ready to go, when he stopped, "Oh… uh… can we wait for my friend Misaki? We normally walk home together."

"Fine." Miyagi sighed. Great, now he had gotten roped into – not only walking ONE brat home – but another as well?

* * *

"W-Well, thanks for all the Valentines and sweets, Usagi-san," Misaki blushed sheepishly with a big smile. "Maybe I'll see you on Monday!"

But before he could take off, the 3rd grader felt his new, older friend grasp his wrist gently. "Misaki, can I walk home with you?" He asked in a melodic voice.

"Oh," Misaki lowered his eyes, "W-Well, I wouldn't mind, Usagi-san, but I normally walk home with Shinobu."

Akihiko stared at him with his serene, piercing lavender eyes, before offering Misaki a gentle smile. "Then I'll walk with the both of you." He cooed effortlessly; like there wasn't any question about it.

"AKIHIKO!" Hiroki's familiar voice rang out. "Don't leave without me, baka!" He cursed. Akihiko and Misaki turned to see Hiroki storming toward them with a pout… and Nowaki trailing along behind with a bubbling smile.

The noirette beamed, "I can walk Hiro-chan home." He offered.

"S-Shut up." Hiroki flushed. "Let's just _all_ go. I don't want to hang around here anymore." He adjusted his knapsack on his shoulder, and gave Misaki a slight glare; why the hell was this little brat STILL distracting Akihiko?

He _always_ walked home with his best friend, and he preferred it when it was just the two of them.

As the four boys headed by the front entrance of the school, they caught up with Shinobu and Miyagi. The sandy-haired boy briefly introduced 'Misaki's new friends' to _his_ 'new' friend who was in the 7th grade. When they started to walk, the air was initially awkward… but soon, Shinobu and Miyagi were walking a few steps ahead, followed by Misaki and Akihiko, and finally, Nowaki and Hiroki.

"That was a good day, Hiro-chan." Nowaki said, trying to strike up a conversation with his new friend. "I'm glad I was transferred into your class."

"Mmhm." Hiroki mumbled, not really paying attention; his eyes were, instead, focused on Akihiko and Misaki a little ways ahead. He couldn't deny that he was jealous of this new, cute little 3rd grader taking his best friend away.

Just as Nowaki was going to try and pull Hiroki's attention back to him, someone stepped out in front of them. It was a boy Nowaki hadn't seen before… but when they both stopped, he saw Hiroki go tense beside him. "What the hell _you_ want?" He snapped.

Shinoda smirked, "You were trying to leave before giving me a Valentine." The slightly taller boy teased.

"I don't have a Valentine for you. As if." Hiroki huffed angrily. "Now move. We're going home."

But as Hiroki tried to push past him, Shinoda grabbed Hiroki by the wrist. "Then you owe me a kiss." He smirked, pulling the smaller boy closer.

Hiroki froze as a deep blush settled on his cheeks. Why was Shinoda always trying to _kiss_ him? It made Hiroki so uncomfortable! A tirade of confusing emotions and thoughts rolled through his head and heart each time it happened. He could only assume the slightly older boy was trying to intimidate or humiliate him. When Akihiko had kissed him, it had been to calm him down… but Hiroki saw no reason for Shinoda's constant attempts.

"L-Let go, baka!" Hiroki snapped, trying to tug his wrist out of Shinoda's grip. Why wasn't Akihiko paying attention to this? Normally, whenever Shinoda bothered him, his best friend would step in and protect him. But a quick glance ahead told Hiroki that Akihiko was now more interested in Misaki.

'_Damn brat!'_ He thought bitterly to himself.

"Just a little kiss." Shinoda laughed, "Are you chicken or something?"

Hiroki opened his mouth, and was about to answer – before he felt two arms wrap around him. Nowaki stood behind Hiroki, and delivered the meanest glare Hiroki had ever seen the boy give. He didn't know Nowaki was capable of looking so angry. "Hiro-chan belongs to ME now." He stated firmly. "We're best friends. Let go." Nowaki told him.

Shinoda looked back and forth between Hiroki and Nowaki, before slowly releasing the smaller boy's wrist with a scoff. "Whatever." He dismissed, before stalking back down the street.

"B-Baka, what the hell was that!" Hiroki snapped awkwardly as he wiggled his way out of Nowaki's arms.

But before Hiroki could storm off in a huff, Nowaki gently caught his arm. "I'm sorry, Hiro-chan. I know you said that you think you need to look out for me, because I'm an orphan." He began, offering the shorter (albeit older) boy an affectionate smile. "But it's ME who needs to look out for Hiro-chan. I want to. And I'm not going to stop until we're best friends." He smiled, leaning forward and placing a sweet kiss to Hiroki's cheek.

Hiroki stuttered for a few moments, before his face went completely red and his hands flew up to shield his cheek. "D-Don't do that! What the hell? What's WITH everyone!" He yelled, flailing his arms before he started walking again.

Much to his embarrassment, Nowaki still fell into step beside him.

"You're so cute, Hiro-chan." He smiled. "I know we're going to be best friends."

Hiroki muttered something beneath his breath, but couldn't force the blush away from his cheeks. He looked up to see Misaki and Akihiko weren't even in view anymore.

* * *

"Uh oh." Misaki muttered nervously, looking around as he and Akihiko came to a stop on the street corner. "It looks like we've lost H-Hiroki. And Shinobu!" He wrung his hands together nervously.

But Akihiko just smiled. "It's alright. Hiroki is with Nowaki. And I think your friend went with his 'new' friend. Everyone is fine." Glancing up the street, Akihiko looked back down to Misaki, and took the 3rd grader's hand in his own. "Hold my hand while we cross the street." He instructed gently.

"O-Ok." Misaki smiled. He was used to doing the same thing with his Nii-chan, so the gesture didn't seem odd. What DID seem odd was after the two students crossed the road; Akihiko didn't let go of his hand. "Um… Usagi-san?"

"Mm?" The silver-haired boy asked, with a small, content smile on his lips.

Misaki blushed, "You can let go of my hand now." He tugged.

"I will when we get to your house." He replied, moving his soothing lavender eyes down to look at the cute boy beside him.

'_There's something about his eyes.'_ Misaki thought in awe. They were so captivating, so soothing, so reassuring and… gentle. Like he wouldn't hurt a fly… and despite only meeting the other boy today, Misaki trusted Akihiko. He'd stopped those bullies from teasing him, hadn't he?

When they reached the apartment building Misaki was living in with his brother. "This is my home!" Misaki said proudly, finally slipping his hand out of Akihiko's.

His new friend looked down at his hand for a couple seconds; almost frowning at the absence of the warmth he'd felt while holding Misaki's hand – before looking back into the boy's huge green eyes.

"Can I walk with you to school on Monday?" Akihiko asked.

Misaki wrung his hands cutely as he held his teddy-bear schoolbag. "Um… I guess so?"

"Good." Akihiko smiled. Leaning forward, he couldn't resist giving Misaki's small lips another quick peck. "Happy Valentines Day, Misaki." He said softly.

The doe-eyed brunette blushed, and laughed nervously, "U-Uh… you too, Usagi-san. B-Bye!" He quickly unlocked his front door, tumbled inside, and disappeared.

Akihiko stood with a content, sweet smile on his lips and stared at Misaki's front door for a few minutes – like he was memorizing it – before he continued on toward his own home. Suddenly, he really felt like writing...

* * *

"This is my house." Shinobu announced, stopping in his tracks.

Miyagi raised a brow, and looked over. "Oh. Ok, well… bye." He shrugged.

"D-Do you want to come in?" The sandy-blond asked quickly, staring at the ground as a furious blush crept over his cheeks.

The older kid shuffled on his feet anxiously, "A-Ah… no. That's ok. Thanks. I've gotta get home." He mumbled. "But no hard feelings, right? I mean, I gave you a Valentine back AND walked you home. We're even."

"M-Miyagi," Shinobu blushed even deeper, but kept his gray eyes down. "Will you walk with me on Monday?"

Miyagi sighed. He really wanted to say no; he shouldn't lead this brat on to think that they would be 'friends', since he knew he had no intention of keeping in touch with the strange boy.

But there was definitely something about Shinobu's big, stormy gray eyes… his soft hair… and his small size that made Miyagi's heart kind of go out to him. He seemed to have a big mouth, so maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing to look out for Shinobu sometimes? He imagined the boy got himself into more trouble than he ought to for his age.

"Well, I guess it's on my way." Miyagi shrugged with a sigh, finally. "But I leave early, so if you're not ready when I get here, I won't wait around. I like to read in the library before classes start." He grumbled stubbornly.

Shinobu's face immediately lit up, "O-Ok! I will be ready, I promise!" Bowing a bit, the blush on the boy's face still prohibited him from looking up at Miyagi. "See you Monday." He uttered quickly, before toddling up toward his front door.

Miyagi sighed and rolled his eyes as he continued to walk. What the hell did he just get himself into?

* * *

**A/N**:

* I think I may do the same thing with this, as I'm doing with 'Junjou Neko' – and write a series of one-shots revolving around the boys in this universe/setting. They're all so cute haha… I just want to keep writing little snippets of them growing up (i.e. sleepovers, first real-kisses, moving up to high school, etc).

Some people might be 'surprised' that Miyagi pushed Shinobu during their confrontation, but remember, they're just children, and still rather immature at times. Also, he'd only just met Shinobu by fluke lol

* Like 'Junjou Neko' this will be updated whenever I have the time between other stories haha. Just had to get this first chapter up.


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